{"items": [{"author": "Dustin", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=187943714626139", "anchor": "fb-187943714626139", "service": "fb", "text": "Although I don't really do Contra very much anymore, I definitely have been enjoying your series of blog posts -- contra and non-contra related. :)", "timestamp": "1322408823"}, {"author": "John", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=187989327954911", "anchor": "fb-187989327954911", "service": "fb", "text": "What is kind of interesting is that there are many of these dance organizations throughout the US (and a few elsewhere) and they all put on evenings that are remarkably similar in structure and policy considering there is no widespread organization (such as in MWSD) that has worked out a whole protocol (CDSS is doing a bit of this now). It is a good example of a distributed shared culture that has propagated without a huge amount of evolution. I don't mean to say that the character of the dances and the music hasn't changed and isn't continuing to change but that the formal structure isn't there.", "timestamp": "1322413807"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=187990667954777", "anchor": "fb-187990667954777", "service": "fb", "text": "@John: \"propagated without a huge amount of evolution\"
Really? I think of the remarkable bit being how consistent it has stayed across the country while changing as much as it has.", "timestamp": "1322413977"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=187991204621390", "anchor": "fb-187991204621390", "service": "fb", "text": "@Andrew: Aimed at what audience? People who've not danced? People who've been to a dance but want to get better at by reading about it? People who want to understand the dance ecosystem?", "timestamp": "1322414057"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=187994727954371", "anchor": "fb-187994727954371", "service": "fb", "text": "@Andrew: I'm not sure I could do a good job at that. People have tried [1] but really, in this age of streaming video, that gives you a much better idea [2]. Just showing up also works well: almost everyone dancing learned by coming to a dance and being included.
[1] http://www.sbcds.org/contradance/whatis/
[2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G2DmPRIALc", "timestamp": "1322414514"}, {"author": "Phillip", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=188041011283076", "anchor": "fb-188041011283076", "service": "fb", "text": "Yes, I pretty much see the brands as you suggest, and found it weird that the Scout house dances worked differently (though having danced Thursday in Cambridge for a long time, I knew that it made sense for them to be different). Back in the day in Cambridge, it was the center set, which was way more off putting than the fireplace set. You were definitely made to feel you weren't supposed to be in the set, if you weren't part of the in crowd. I gravitate toward the fireplace set because it tends to be more frenetic, and the dancers more open to improvisation. That said I find all of the sets fun at bida dances. I think that may be because the crowd is younger (both in age and spirit). In general I would note that all greater Boston Contra is more accepting of newbies than 20 to 25 years ago. I am noticing a separate bida trend, special events seem to have more women than men (contrasting Sunday to last night). I can not figure out why that would be.", "timestamp": "1322420809"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=188041801282997", "anchor": "fb-188041801282997", "service": "fb", "text": "@Phillip: \"special events seem to have more women than men\"
How many examples are you generalizing from? Last night's dance was english+contra, and english skews female.", "timestamp": "1322420919"}, {"author": "Phillip", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=188045284615982", "anchor": "fb-188045284615982", "service": "fb", "text": "I think three. I am sensitized to this because I bring my spouse to special events, so she has decided that there are always more women than men in Cambridge (so the first spark in the dark(noreaster/PeM) last year that was not true, but it was in Watertown). The spark in the dark with double apex that was more women then men, and there is one more that is more fuzzy. Since my spouse is very shy I try to avoid contra events where she is on the wrong side of the gender imbalance (rock/disco she doesn't care, and I avoid like the plague).", "timestamp": "1322421391"}, {"author": "Michael", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=188092867944557", "anchor": "fb-188092867944557", "service": "fb", "text": "My long-standing rule of thumb is that if you have to a) dress up or b) plan ahead (i.e. buy reservations or take dance classes) then there will be more women than men. I should check whether this applies to Scots dancing, as I haven't been to one of those, so it will be an opportunity to see whether my hypothesis can predict results in new tests.", "timestamp": "1322427666"}, {"author": "BDan", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=188164294604081", "anchor": "fb-188164294604081", "service": "fb", "text": "Scottish almost always skews female, regardless of the event type. I can probably count on one hand the number of dances and classes I've been to that had more men than women.", "timestamp": "1322438237"}, {"author": "Michael", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=188172721269905", "anchor": "fb-188172721269905", "service": "fb", "text": "BDan: Is it fair to say that people usually dress up somewhat for \"regular\" dances, as well as for special balls? If so, that would fit my prediction.", "timestamp": "1322439744"}, {"author": "BDan", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=188192497934594", "anchor": "fb-188192497934594", "service": "fb", "text": "Michael: No, most people don't dress up at all. I'm one of the few men who regularly wears a kilt, for example. Shorts or trousers and t-shirts are pretty common. There is a bit more of a learning curve compared to ECD or contra when starting out, because of the footwork, but that's it.", "timestamp": "1322443165"}, {"author": "Michael", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=188198934600617", "anchor": "fb-188198934600617", "service": "fb", "text": "@BDan: well, it may still fit my hypothesis, since (as I understand it) Scottish and Modern Western have in common that both expect you to take some classes before attending an open dance -- or am I mistaken?", "timestamp": "1322444267"}, {"author": "Alex", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=188239481263229", "anchor": "fb-188239481263229", "service": "fb", "text": "FYI, in Greenfield there's actually an additional body, the Friends of the Guiding Star Grange, which serves as the fundraising arm of the Grange itself. Then, as far as I'm aware, there's the Top Hill series (run by Stuart & Alice Kenney 2nd and 4th Saturdays), the Wild Asparagus series on 1st Saturdays, the Moving Violations series on 1st Fridays, the Greenfield Dance Band series on 2nd and 4th Fridays, 3rd Saturdays organized by Ethan Hazzard-Watkins, and I'm not sure who organizes 3rd Fridays, but I seem to recall it's the Grange committee itself. Or maybe the Friends?", "timestamp": "1322451724"}, {"author": "BDan", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=188432411243936", "anchor": "fb-188432411243936", "service": "fb", "text": "Michael: we don't generally expect beginners to show up to a formal ball, certainly, but things get more relaxed with less formal dances, where dances are often walked through before dancing. A lot of weekly events are split into half class, half social dancing, where the social dancing includes plenty of stuff that beginners would not have even seen in class (much less become confident at) until they'd been coming a few months, but they are still encouraged to participate, and get pointed where to go for the bits they don't know yet.", "timestamp": "1322492470"}, {"author": "Phillip", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/187921504628360?comment_id=188502477903596", "anchor": "fb-188502477903596", "service": "fb", "text": "@Michaeln, If there is dress up involved you can count on more women than (the extreme is the contra prom). Not as certain about the plan ahead, but I find it credible.", "timestamp": "1322502436"}]}